This invention relates to a fabric garment to be worn tightly against the skin of a user, which during use, automatically removes unwanted hair. More particularly, the invention relates to hosiery which is coated with a microencapsulated depilatory agent which automatically dispenses the depilatory to only a localized area around the hair follicle thereby dissolving the hair without irritating the user's skin.
Throughout the ages, man has developed various devices and methods for removing unwanted body hair. These prior art devices have ranged from mechanical cutting edges which shave the hair stubble adjacent to the skin such as straight, safety, and electric razors, to modern depilatory agents which are applied directly to the skin to dissolve the hair stubble by a chemical process. Although these methods and devices have proven useful in many applications, there are inherent deficiencies in their use.
Since the cutting edge devices contact the hair stubble as they are pulled across the skin of the user, there is a tendency for the hair to bend, causing a failure to shave the hair close to the skin. Additionally, these mechanical devices suffer from the all too frequent cutting of the user's skin as well as the hair stubble.
Alternatively, the depilatory agents, although capable of chemically dissolving the hair close to the skin, in many instances cause minor skin irritation to the user or possess an obnoxious sulfide odor which is extremely difficult to mask.
Further, a major limitation of both the mechanical edge devices and depilatory agents are that they are time-consuming to use. When using cutting edge devices, pre-shave lotions or lather must first be applied to the skin to soften the hair stubbles and protect the skin from abrasion. Then, subsequent to shaving, these lotions must be rinsed from the skin with water. Similarly, use of the depilatory agents require that a hair dissolving lotion be applied and left in contact with the skin for a period of time and then be removed by washing. In many instances, use of these prior art devices and methods require as much as thirty minutes be expended each day by the user in removing unwanted body hair.